Snowball’s Redemption

Based on George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm"

The evening was quite far drawing to a close when all Animal’s Farm was preparing to sleep. A drowsy silence spread rapidly through every corner of the farm and now only the whoosh of the wind in the branches of the trees could be heard.

The moonlight and the silence turned very hard to someone to sneak in the farm unnoticed, so when Snowball broke into the fences of the farm with two big dogs, they would certainly be on the spot. Clover was the first to notice that something was out of the usual, but thought, cleverly, not telling anyone, even more considering the recently episodes in Animal’s Farm. Clover set off carefully out of the barn, but frightened to be seen by Snowball and his body-guards alone, she woke up Muriel and Benjamin to come along. They watched silently and carefully Snowball’s movements and followed him. He was going toward the barn that moments earlier Clover had been. Muriel thought that could mean trouble: “What is he up to?”. “No idea” said Clover, concerned. “Maybe we should look closer.” They agreed, worried. 

The three set off more carefully than ever, step by step heading (off) to the great barn, the very same place that once had held the efforts to a long dreamed freedom. Benjamin said that they should stay a little far from the place so they could listen inside and figure out what Snowball was up to, without being seen. But the operation proved itself quite impossible. There wasn’t a way to listen without getting closer and risking to be seen and furthermore Snowball had entered the barn alone, and his dogs could not be seen so far. 

“Whatever he is plotting….” Benjamin could not finish his thoughts. The two big dogs, fangs ferociously gleaming in the moonlight, were ready to bite them all. Not daring even to breathe, the three fellows froze on the spot staring the dogs.

 “Snowball shall speak to you! Follow me!” Said the smaller one

Clover, Muriel and Benjamin followed the dogs into the barn. 

“I’ve been expecting nobody else but you, comrades.” Snowball started ceremoniously. “For a long I wished (I’ve been wishing) to speak to you, I’m not here to threat you, I’ve come to open up your eyes and ask for redemption. Since the beginning of the rebellion I’d always believed in the Seven Commandments and in what we had done; the achievements we had accomplished, the dreams we had pursuit. But friends, be in charge is everything but easy. Napoleon and I had set up many things for the greater good, but power is an ungrateful thing and long before we noticed it, we were permitting ourselves abuses on that power. The privileges had seduced us, we even started to corrupt the foundations of the rebellion…the Seven Commandments were (was) spoiled; the tyranny was seeded by our own madness of power. I’ve realized very lately how far we’d gone, but Napoleon hasn’t (didn’t see) seen, and I suffered for that insubordination. For a long I have thought, for a long I have desired to redeem myself from you. I do sorry I haven’t seen earlier, friends, and I do ask for mercy. I’ve spoiled our commandments and I’ve let my comrades suffer our abuses. I can’t leave with this remorse upon me….” Snowball hardly dared to cast a glance at them. “Napoleon must be stopped; he is blind and won’t accept the hard true of his actions… I’ve tried. See my friends; everything’s gone wrong in the rebellion….”

Nobody had noticed, early, how tired Snowball’s face appeared, maybe hardened by the remorse. Clover, Muriel and Benjamin had expected everything but that. The three stood staring at him speechlessly.

Snowball went on: “Try and do something now before is too late. I can help, but Napoleon must not see me, he would take by personal revenge. Maybe I can find redemption after all.” Snowball turned back to the barn’s door, but before leaving, he said: “I’ll be nearby”. There was no longer formality in his speech.

Writing a dialogue

I was to choose eight different expressions I have learned in some of my classes and use them in a twenty-line argument. Then, that was it:

“Keep your secrets far from your heart”. It’s easy to say, harder to perform and absolutely true on its saying. Should a man be able to keep his secrets away from their hearts, he would be less manipulated, or even violated on his dearest feelings, moreover, they would be in safekeeping.

Some would say this behavior turns people colder and distant, often sourer. I’d say that human systems do turn people colder and harder, actually. If you yearn to live inside the System, you have to bid farewell to your innocence and keep at the good job drawn in the quote in order to keep yourself from any harm, otherwise you be hiding yourself in your own private meadow of heaven. 

Nobody can live apart from the System for a long time. Sooner or later the System will keep you up, and it’s going to be even harder and it doesn’t matter how fiercely you try to keep your innocence under. “Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel…”

Despite the fact of the World’s cruel System, the top quote it’s a keepsake, anyway. Maybe we’ll be able to find balance between the quote warning and our humanity.